New York, NY — Rashad Robinson, Executive Director of ColorOfChange, issued the following statement on the decision:

We applaud Saturday Night Live on its decision to add a Black woman to the cast. Given its broad influence on American culture and within the entertainment industry, SNL has the power to be a model for other shows and networks by depicting relevant and authentic portrayals of Black women.

Just before Thanksgiving, ColorOfChange sat down with NBCUniversal executives to discuss SNL’s failure to address the exclusion of Black women from the soundstages at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, as well as share our members’ concerns about misleading stereotypes often used to portray Black people on the show. The decision to cast a Black woman is an important step in the right direction and shows that our members’ voices were heard. ColorOfChange looks forward to a continued dialogue with network executives to ensure that this new cast member has the support she needs backstage to be successful on screen.